Concerning Powerboat Transport,  this page contains some commonly asked questions regarding the decommissioning of a powerboat for transport.  Mainly, it is general common sense, although like most thing, paying attention to the fine details is paramount.  Our boat transport haulers are capable of handling all the fine details associated with transporting your powerboat.  Powerboats have their own idiosyncrasies; therefore, you must understand what is required to transport them safely to their new location.  If you have questions feel free to contact us as we can be a wealth of information if you are considering transporting your powerboat.

Hauling your Powerboat

First, you need to clean the bottom of your boat and remove all grasses and living organisms, using a pressure washer when the boat is placed on the travel life, as some states have laws pertaining to moving organisms, and live plants, from one state to another state.  Some states will inspect the boat bottom, upon arrival, to ensure organic materials and organisms have been removed, before allowing entry into their state.

Some Items Require Removal on Powerboats

Things that travel poorly need to be removed prior to transit.  They include anchors, canvas, antennas, venturi’s, and unsecured items in the cockpit and bridge.  Electronic heads need to be stowed in a locker below, after unplugging them.  Venturi’s with solid frames should be removed as they sustain wind damage traveling at 55mph creating cracks around the fastening holes, which can be costly. Taping or lashing antennas will stop movement and damage, and TV antennas are particularly fragile and should be removed and securely lashed below along with all anchors.

Powerboat Height Issues

Hauling powerboats has it’s own issues when it come to moving them, with the main issue being the height of the boat, overall.  Knowing the height is an issue when working up a quote and planning the route it will be transported when moving to a new marina, since every state has its own laws and rules regarding the transporting a powerboat; therefore, the boat haulers need to know this when applying for permits.  Generally, you are allowed 13.5 feet in northern states, and 14 feet in most other states, but if you exceed these heights, a pole car must travel with you as well.  So, due to weight and height requirements, you may need to disassemble the boat for transport.  To drop the height, you sometimes need to remove props, shafts, struts, running gear, rubbers, and upon occasion, the fly bridge.

Boat Water and Fuel

Boat fluids are not an issue for boat transporters until the boats approaches 35,000 lbs. then we will require you to have the fuel removed, which is a normal procedure anyway, especially if the boat is of wood construction.  We also recommend water and fuel be removed in sailboats and powerboats made of wood as well, prior to loading them onto the trailer for transport.

After reading this, we hope we have answered many of your questions about transporting your powerboat, although most of this information can be used for when you are transporting a yacht as well.